baselin'

For most people December means time for Christmas! For everyone in Miami.. it means Art Basel. Art Basel is an event that takes place from Dec 1-4. Artists from all around the world come together and show their art in different art galleries and hotels all around Miami. But the biggest exhibit is the convention center where some of the most well known artists sell and show their pieces. It is a very difficult event to go to but lucky for me I was able to attend last year. It is definitely something everyone needs to see once. This year I avoided the convention center. It is amazing seeing pieces by Andy Warhol and Picasso but the overall crowd are rich snobs who I do not like to interact with. Instead I attended YogArt at the Loews Hotel and art galleries in the Design District. Both were fabulous. 

Trevor Hall at YogArt

Miguel Paredes

My favorite, Underbelly Project

YogArt

bahamas

My recent trip to the Bahamas was exactly what I needed. A little time with some island life. Although the Bahamas is extremely similar to Miami (tourists everywhere) it was nice to see the attitudes of the people who live there. They are truly humble people who enjoy their lifestyle. While there, I also was able to partake in a Sivananda yoga class at an Ashram. I had to take a little boat to get over to the retreat at 830am which made the start of my day already beautiful. The class took place on a little deck right on the beach. It was beautiful. Sivananda is very different from what I typically practice (Ashtanga) but it was nice to try something new. The energy and the scenery made it all worth it. 

tree of souls

“I was a warrior who dreamed he could bring peace. Sooner or later though, you always have to wake up.”-Jake Sully, Avatar

This morning I planned on going to an early, much needed Mysore class, but instead I found myself watching 2hours of Avatar. I know the movie is an all time favorite with most people around the world, but I feel as though I see too much of the symbolism in it. I see how much their world really relates to what is happening with the environment now in our real life. We have land that was once loved by tribes and worshiped, and has been completely destroyed by settlers who are now our government. The environment and nature has never mattered to them, it has always been about growing bigger and better. Unlike the tribes, most people do not view nature and the universe as something present, real and bigger than us. Thousands of years ago people lived off of it, and now we don't have enough to even recognize. More and more decimates everyday and the only pieces we have left to hold on to will probably be gone soon enough. 

The tree of souls in Avatar was the ultimate universe. It was the only thing left that could save them. It was all of nature put together in one. It was their last resort of where to turn when things went wrong. When I visit fairchild tropical garden and see this tree above, it reminds me of the same feeling. The same idea that this may be one of the last pieces of nature to hold onto. 

The Fishing Industry

Recently in my Marine Biology class, I watched a documentary The End of the Line. This showed the current issues in the fishing industry. http://endoftheline.com/

The documentary The End of the Line explained the devastating effects of overfishing all around the world. It shows how the main cause is by improvement in technology and high demand of fish from humans. One man in the movie stated, “fish have no chance of escaping due to the amount of technology these boats now have.” Basically the whole fishing industry has come down to companies making millions for ridding off species of fish. Not only are they ridding off species such as tuna, salmon, and shrimp but they are also “bycatching” species such as sharks, dolphins, and horsefish. This is a huge problem because as explained in the movie, it is a race to catch the last fish.

            Being a vegetarian, I have always understood the impact human’s have on the fishing and meat industries. The only explanation for any of these issues is due to human consumption. I had watched numerous movies on the meat factories around the world, but never had I watched anything on the fishing industry because as someone who loves the ocean it hits too close to home. The movie gave me more of an understanding of how crucial it is for people to be educated in the matter of over fishing and how it is all happening because fish is in high demand. More than ever, people are consuming more meat and more fish, therefore it only makes sense that these companies are going to try to mass produce no matter what the consequences are.

            Although, animal cruelty is a devastating issue in the meat and fishing industries, what is even worse is the impact it is having on our environment and on our bodies. Due to fish being in high demand, they also create fish farms, which are basically no longer real fish. They are pumped with hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals beyond the human mind. Considering we are the first generation consuming these chemicals, they have no idea how it will affect us or our children in the long-run. We are merely test subjects. If we do not become informed as soon as possible and stop these industries, ecosystems will collapse. Anyone who can imagine a world with no fish, and accept that, and believe the environment will still run on its natural course, needs a serious reality check and become educated. This all starts with the politicians putting an end to this, which means it starts with us, making sure we vote for the right people, and speak up. There is still time to save our planet. 

the world we live in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVu9eawb1QY


What kind of world do we live in when 
"reality" show actors make more money than Doctors? 
What kind of world do we live in when 
athletes make more than teachers; than professors? 
What kind of world do we live in when 
a being thinks it's okay to intentionally hurt another a being? 
What kind of world do we live in when 
individual people think they are actually bigger than the world? 
What kind of world when
billions of dollars are spent on war and ruining the lives of others? 
When money (an idea) is what life (an experience) is based on. 
Such common knowledge should be attained,
how to live life, 
but others can not accept it.

TED Less Stuff, more happiness

With the end of the 24 things challenge, this video does the trick and sums it all up.


http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_less_stuff_more_happiness.html

letting go of: sanity

"Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees dawn before the rest of the world." -Oscar Wilde


I must admit my 24 Things: Autumn Surrender did not go as well as planned. My goal in the beginning was to get rid of all the clutter in my apartment. The amount of things I have literally drives me insane some day. But instead any chance I saw to be a chance to give, whether it was lending an ear, helping a stranger, lending a few dollars, or giving clothes to charity, I took it. My schedule has been hectic lately, between new work hours as a waitress, my last college classes on monday, wednesdays and fridays and a new spanish class on saturday mornings, the last thing I could think about was getting rid of stuff in my apartment. Now, being the virgo that I am, typically if I set a goal for myself and do not fulfill it I become even more stressed and really hard on myself. I begin to blame myself for not trying hard enough or wasting time relaxing or just not being organized. I have been totally lost these last few weeks (maybe months..but who knows at this point) and did not realize what it felt like to be actually physically lost until I found myself wandering downtown Miami with all the homeless people at 830am. At this point I began to cry hysterically to the point of almost having an anxiety attack due to stress and fear. I found my way back to my car, cried some more, got home cried some more. And then talked to a friend. Talking to her made me realize we all have these times, these days, where we can not take it anymore. Where we just need an answer, some sign that everything will be okay. But we don't need a sign. We already know that everything is going to be okay! It always is. Sometimes we need those moments where we get physically lost to see that it all works out in the end. Getting lost this morning was not the end of my world, it taught me I need to give myself more time and plan better. That's all. Nothing bad came out of it. So if this last month has taught me anything it is to let go of all my emotional baggage, let go of trying to be superwoman and get everything done, let go of being so hard on myself, allow myself a good cry every now and then and be the person I know I am.. whether that be sane or insane.

Fairchild Botanical Garden

Here are some pictures from one of my favorite places in Florida. Recently I learned it is one of the most important tropical gardens in the world. I agree.